# Mollie Winnard
**Mollie Winnard** (Mollie Louise Winnard, born 1997) is an English actress known for playing Kayla Clifton in the soap opera *Coronation Street*, Maggie in *All Creatures Great and Small*, and Joanna Hepworth in the third series of *Happy Valley*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997, Wigan, Lancashire, England; grew up in Chorley[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard) |
| Training | Mark Hudson's Manchester School of Acting, where she still studied as of 2021[3](https://tresamagazine.com/2021/11/01/mollie-winnard/) |
| Screen debut | *Love, Lies & Records* (2017), as Zoe in two episodes[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard) |
| Kayla Clifton | *Coronation Street*, April to July 2018; Inside Soap Award for Best Bad Girl[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [4](https://pt.ifann.net/wiki/mollie-winnard) |
| Continuing role | Maggie in *All Creatures Great and Small* from September 2020, appearing across multiple series, Christmas specials, and the 2026 sixth series[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard) |
| 2026 work | DI Claire Ferris in *Silent Witness*, Elenor Elmsley in the film *Apnas*, and Gemma Tully in *Waterloo Road*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Winnard was born in Wigan, Lancashire, and grew up in Chorley[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard). She began acting at a local youth theater and, at eighteen, auditioned for Mark Hudson's Manchester School of Acting, where she continued her studies after her professional career began[3](https://tresamagazine.com/2021/11/01/mollie-winnard/).
## Television career
**Debut and Coronation Street.** Her first screen appearance came in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) drama *Love, Lies & Records* in 2017, in which she played Zoe in two episodes[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard). In 2018 she joined *Coronation Street* as Kayla Clifton. In an ITV interview she described the character's approach to Craig Tinker: Kayla could see that more was going on between Craig and [Bethany Platt](https://www.edgepedia.org/bethany-platt) but was not put off, wanting to get Bethany out of the picture so she could move in on Craig[5](https://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/articles/mollie-winnard-interview). The role ran from April to July 2018, and her performance won the Inside Soap Award for Best Bad Girl[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [4](https://pt.ifann.net/wiki/mollie-winnard). After leaving the soap she returned to working as a waitress between acting jobs, a period she has discussed openly[4](https://pt.ifann.net/wiki/mollie-winnard).
**All Creatures Great and Small.** From September 2020 she has played Maggie in the 1930s-set remake of *All Creatures Great and Small*, a continuing role spanning multiple series and Christmas specials[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [3](https://tresamagazine.com/2021/11/01/mollie-winnard/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard). Her credits list 17 episodes, including the 2020 Christmas special "The Night Before Christmas", the 2025 special "Comfort and Joy", and episodes of the sixth series airing in 2026[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard). Series 6 began on PBS in January 2026, with episodes running through February 2026[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/news/).
**Happy Valley and Four Lives.** She appeared as Demi in the BBC drama *Four Lives* in January 2022, in two episodes[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard). In early 2023 she played Joanna Hepworth in five episodes of the third and final series of *Happy Valley*; her storyline dealt with domestic violence, which the iFANN profile describes as having attracted significant attention to her work[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard) • [4](https://pt.ifann.net/wiki/mollie-winnard).
**2026.** In 2026 she appeared as DI Claire Ferris in a two-part *Silent Witness* story, "The Disappearance of Alice Hill", broadcast on February 2, 2026; played Elenor Elmsley in the feature film *Apnas*; and joined the cast of the BBC school drama *Waterloo Road* as Gemma Tully[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard).
## Stage and other work
In 2025 she starred in *[The Pillowman](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-pillowman)* at the Theatre Royal Ramsbottom[4](https://pt.ifann.net/wiki/mollie-winnard). She also appeared as herself in the short UK mini-series *Ignite Insights with Mollie Winnard*, first released on August 31, 2020, produced by Ignite Films, with a runtime of 37 minutes[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19894772/).
## References
1. [Mollie Winnard – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/bio/)
2. [Mollie Winnard, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/286062/mollie-winnard)
3. [Mollie Winnard, TresA Magazine (November 1, 2021)](https://tresamagazine.com/2021/11/01/mollie-winnard/)
4. [Mollie Winnard – Idade, Patrimônio e Biografia, iFANN](https://pt.ifann.net/wiki/mollie-winnard)
5. [Interview: Mollie Winnard, ITV Coronation Street](https://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/articles/mollie-winnard-interview)
6. [Mollie Winnard – News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9406143/news/)
7. [Ignite Insights with Mollie Winnard (Actress), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19894772/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Wh to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license